Fox tail agave (Agave attenuata) profile

Fox tail agave, scientific name Agave attenuata, also known as the Lion's tail or Swan's Neck Agave, agavaceae perennials, with obvious stems, gray to grayish brown, was born in short straight stem, leaf blade ovate, long leaf color green with white powder. The leaves are arranged rosette, large, thick, fleshy, margin without spines, flowers arranged in a large dense panicle, capsule oblong, room back 3 disc craze, seed majority, thin and flat, black.Fox tail agave is sunny and slightly tolerant of shade. It grows well in sunny and well-drained places. It is mainly distributed in Mexico. Fox tail agave is a beautiful plant with strong leaves that are not easy to wither and are not afraid of the hot sun. It is suitable for outdoor gardening as a leaf viewing plant and an excellent garden ornamental plant. The fiber from the leaves can be extracted to make ropes, so it is an important fiber crop.

Fox tail agave picture

Morphological characteristics of fox tail agave

Stems

Fox tail agave is a perennial plant with distinct stems, which are 25 -- 50 cm long, grayish to grayish brown, about 10 -- 13 cm in diameter, with obvious zigzag leaf marks and densely covered surface with deep longitudinal cracks.

Leaf

Fox tail agave leaves are densely grown on short stems, with long ovate leaves, up to 1 m in length and about 20 cm in width. The leaves are green and powdery, arranged in rosettes, large, fleshy, without thorns on the edge and with sharp spikes on the tip.

Flowers

Fox tail agave has stout, tall, branching flower stems; Flowers arranged in large, dense terminal panicles, bloom only once in life, then die; Perianth tubes are short, perianth lobes 6, bright green, ca. 2 x 0.7 cm, apically obtuse; fox tail agave has 6 stamens, attached to the larynx of perianth tube; Filaments are slender, nearly white, ca. 4 cm long, protruding from perianth, anthers T-shaped, greenish-yellow, ca. 1.5 cm long; Ovary is inferior, 3-loculed, each locule with numerous ovules, style linear, stigma 3-lobed.

The fruit

The capsule of Fox tail agave is oblong and 3-petal dehiscent. Seeds are numerous, thin and flat, black.

The ecology of fox tail agave

Fox tail agave is sunny and slightly shade tolerant, but it is best to plant in a sunny place with well-drained soil. Sudden changes in light intensity can scorch the leaves. Summer growth period can increase watering, on the contrary in winter dormant period should reduce watering. The temperature should be kept between 10 and 13 degrees Celsius. Anything below 0 degrees Celsius will cause damage.

How to grow and care for Fox tail agave

Light & temperature

Fox tail agave likes a sunny environment, but pay attention to the summer shade, the rest of the season can be placed in a good light place; Suitable growth temperature is 15-25℃, winter temperature can not be lower than 8℃.

Watering and fertilizing

Fox tail agave needs to keep the soil moist in spring and autumn, and dry in winter when it is dormant. Growing period fertilizes 1 time a month, uses the decayed cake fertilizer water or 15-15-30 potted flower special fertilizer.

Soil

Fox tail agave's basin soil can be a mixture of leaf rot, fertile garden soil and coarse sand with a little bone meal. Appropriate to choose the diameter of 15-20 cm pot, every two years in the spring for the basin, soil 1 times.

Fox tail agave propagation

The propagation of Fox tail agave is carried out by the plant division method, but some flower stems also produce pearl buds, which are actually pearl buds but not viviparous.

Fox tail agive's distribution area

Fox tail agave is found mainly in Mexico.

Fox tail agave landscape use

Fox tail agave is a beautiful plant with strong leaves that are not easy to wither and are not afraid of the scorching sun. It is suitable for outdoor gardening as a leaf viewing plant and an excellent garden ornamental plant. Leaves can be extracted from the fiber to make rope, and are an important fiber crop.